The days of >110 underfoot pow skis are gone...

[ill-advised strategy]

I should clarify my position. I love huge fatties for dust on crust. Current favorites for these conditions are OG bodacious or QST 118. Legit powder days are reserved for renegades. Upside down pow I break or powder boards or protests, which turn upside down pow into a pure joy while everyone else is complaining.

My alltime favorite dust on crust skis are the scott p4. Tip to tail camber + 24m radius for speed on the crust, 108 underfoot for a lil speed float on the dust.

[ill-advised strategy]

The fatypus alotta actually carves fairly well at 140 underfoot.

[tuco]

Powderboards are even better once you figure out how to survive on flat groomers. They’re fine on groomers with a pitch but if it’s flat weird things happen. Thankfully that’s not what they’re for nor does one encounter that train often.

Totally.
Breakable crust was an eye opener as well

[Bobcat Sig]

Something something nobody something teles.



For real though, if I can snag a pair I'm lusting after, I'll have two pairs of 106mm boards and a 108mm. They will slot in along 112, 116, and 122 phatties. And to round out, there's a pair of Moment Tahoes at 96mm underfoot for those really low tide, firm days.

[XXX-er]

Totally.
Breakable crust was an eye opener as well

is it the size ?

or the early rise ?

[tuco]

is it the size ?

or the early rise ?

R/R
Down made a ski called Countdown V(5). R/R design 117 uf for 3d and difficult snow

[HAB]

Powderboards are even better once you figure out how to survive on flat groomers. They’re fine on groomers with a pitch but if it’s flat weird things happen. Thankfully that’s not what they’re for nor does one encounter that train often.

I thought I was going to die the first time I tried to ski a flat groomer on my L138s. They're manageable if there's a little pitch and you can actually get going fast enough to tip them over and smear around, but they're incredibly squirrely at low speeds. Haven't felt so incompetent on snow since the one and only day I tried to snowboard.

And I fully second what Tuco said about those kinds of designs in breakable crust. They can turn pretty fucked up conditions into a lot of fun.

[tuco]

I found it out by accident. First time I tried mine was Snowbird. Fell in love w/ them on the first turn(soft slope).
Later we met up w/ some bros and skied a face that wind had transported the snow away. I was skiing w/ a bunch of very capable skiers(on alpine) and it was apparent to me that I was having a much easier time navigating the breakable crust(I was on tele).
Gliding flat run-outs will wear you the fuck out prematurely tho

[HAB]

That's basically the same experience I had, except it was touring hunting for pow stashes on a day that turned out to have a gnarly rain crust just a couple inches down. I was having a good day still, but my buddy was struggling badly.

[bodywhomper]

They’re great in that deep isothermal snow, too, when it’s far too late/warm/dangerous to be skiing the run, but there you are. And low angle 3D snow.

Low angle groomers: ski ballet.

[SirVicSmasher]

Yeah, saw quite a few broken ones too. Dynastar as well.
I once repaired a broken ski, altho it was was broken.
Picked these up for a songAttachment 386714Attachment 386715207 KVC, one of my first tele skis.
My first pair of really well built skis were Kastle 5.0's. Fuck Kastles were sweet before Benneton ruined them!
That ski emporium is badass!

Dude you gotta get on a pair of these I think you'd really dig them ...
I had a back up pair in plastic but I gave em to thefortress for saving my life

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[CaliBrit]

Haven’t read any of this thread. But when people say “you only use those twice a year”, well yeah, that’s the point. How much do you pay for a cat ski day? A truly dedicated pow setup is less and when the conditions roll on you use them, and those 2 days a year are the best of the season.

[HotSchmoo]

I think resort vs touring makes a big difference.
I tend to only make 2-3 runs inbounds on my big boards before changing out for the DD. BUT i ski at a smallish and crowded ski area. Also don't like dealing with set up maritime snow ruts and skied out moguls on big skis.

However, over the last few years, Ive started grabbing my UL Protests with tech binders for touring probably 2/3 of the time. Primarily touring for pow though, and on alot of days most people would be riding the chairlifts. They are heavyish and collect alot of snow on top, but they work just So well. Especially though they're great when things warm up and get goopy halfway through the tour.
As others have said a big ski can turn garbage maritime mank chunder breakable etc into tolerable or even enjoyably fun conditions.

[ticketchecker]

Speaking of >110 underfoot skis, I'm looking for a 180 Rustler 11 or a 178/9 Billy Goat for the days when these skis aren't useful anymore

[XavierD]

I’m not reading 8 pages of mental masturbation over owning wide skis and not being a gaper so apologies if this has been said:

Ski shops are going back to selling sub 100mm skis? Good. Let’s make 84mm all mountain fat again. Skiing was better when everyone else was buying Apache Explores and Apache Recons.

We really fucked up when we convinced everyone who couldn’t buy a decent turn on a groomer they should try buying a powder turn too.

[XXX-er]

yeah its 8 pages of wanking dentists but in reality its probably more of a supply thing combined with some employee saying there are no wide skis cuz we don't have any in stock

[iriponsnow]

Listen to the whole thing & await part 2!

https://realskiers.com/podcasts/

[Bobcat Sig]

yeah its 8 pages of wanking dentists but in reality its probably more of a supply thing combined with some employee saying there are no wide skis cuz we don't have any in stock

Umm... it's lawyering dentists, actually

[tuco]

Dude you gotta get on a pair of these I think you'd really dig them ...
I had a back up pair in plastic but I gave em to thefortress for saving my life

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Pinnacle 118?
I'd givem a go!
What'd he do dig you out of tree well?

[SumJongGuy]

Same thing happened with skateboards.. Got RIDICULOUSLY wide, like 12" and 14" wide and actually worked well for pool and half pipe... But things settled down and then actually got kinda skinny again down to 7.5" wide again after double kicks came and park/pile gave way to street again. Now folks are riding 8ish for street and 9ish for park and vert. I can see things settling down around 100-110 for deep as the point if diminishing returns.

[SirVicSmasher]

Pinnacle 118?
I'd givem a go!
What'd he do dig you out of tree well?

Yeah something like that

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[JayPowHound]

I ski my Spatulas on average probably 1-3 days a year.

Those are typically my best / most funnest days sliding on snow.

That's in NH/VT.

SO worth having them.

Isn't that the point of a "quiver"??

I also ski my neon explosives once or twice a year. In the spring. In an 80s fartbag.

And I break out the home-rockered Atomic Pow Plus once or twice for some pond skimming.

Should I give up on those too?

[SumJongGuy]

Pinnacle 118?
I'd givem a go!
What'd he do dig you out of tree well?

Or provide alibi to wife??

[Wapow]

Sorry for the drift but this was no joking matter: https://nwac-wp-uploads-prod.s3.us-w...Accident-1.pdf

Gotta give SVS extra props for pointing them when he realized that he was going over the cliff. I'm confident I would've gone over desperately trying to arrest.

[phatty]

Sorry for the drift but this was no joking matter: https://nwac-wp-uploads-prod.s3.us-w...Accident-1.pdf

Gotta give SVS extra props for pointing them when he realized that he was going over the cliff. I'm confident I would've gone over desperately trying to arrest.

And skiing out of the danger zone with a destroyed knee and shoulder. SVS is a real G. Can't wait to ski together again this season on a day he needs those Pinnacles.